An update from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment says the average annual acreage burned during the prescribed fire season was almost matched over the past month.
Almost 2.1 million acres of grassland were burned between March 15 and April 12. KDHE says roughly 2.5 million acres are burned annually.
The reporting time period involves 21 counties in Kansas and Oklahoma, including the entire KVOE listening area. Of the counties included, Chase County saw the most acres burned at almost 285,000. Greenwood County was second with over 245,000 acres. Wabaunsee County came in third areawide and sixth across the region with almost 129,000 acres burned. Lyon County’s total of 100,000 acres is fourth areawide and eighth across the region.
KDHE also says burns from April 8-9 caused six air quality exceedances across parts of Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. There were no air quality exceedances due to burns last year.
Burn restrictions continue through April as part of the Flint Hills Smoke Management Plan. For more information about the plan or the related Smoke Management Tool, go online to www.ksfire.org.
